Time for an Italian dinner night! This chicken caprese is just… wow. And super simple 🙂 Juicy chicken that’s marinated in a balsamic and garlic marinade, topped with fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, minced basil and drizzled with a sweet and decadent balsamic glaze… whew… I’m drooling just thinking about it!
For a baked version where the chicken is smothered in gooey melted mozzarella cheese and burst roasted cherry tomatoes, click HERE!
When we go out for dinner, a nice Italian restaurant is always in the top few choices. I just love the flavors of Italian food! Chicken caprese is my creation of some of my favorite flavors and textures. And don’t be fooled by the fancy presentation, your kids will probably eat it too! My almost 5 year old took a couple of bites and proclaimed, “Mommy you have to make this every night!” I’d say that’s a seal of kid approval 🙂
Chicken caprese is one of those versatile meals, easy to make for your family for a weeknight meal, but also easy to dress up and make for a fancy meal (it has that impressive factor), and only you have to know how easy it was to make 🙂
If you’re looking for ideas on what to serve with this chicken, I usually go with a seasoned garlic dipping oil with crusty bread, and some roasted parmesan crusted asparagus. All the flavors just work well together. A simple side salad would work as well. The chicken caprese is a perfect mix of hearty, yet still refreshing from the fresh ingredients topping, so it’s great year round. In fact, the first time I ever made this chicken, it was summer and I let my husband take care of cooking the chicken by grilling it outside. By the way, ohhhhhh man is it ever good that way! Those charred grill marks from the grill take this flavor over the moon! So you could grill inside on a grill pan if you have one, or stick to a standard oven safe skillet. I’ve done it both ways, and it’s amazing either way 🙂
You can make your own balsamic reduction, or if you’re like me and have zero patience, they make a balsamic glaze you can buy in the store. A little goes a long way, so it lasts for a while.
Fresh asparagus coated in garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese, then wrapped in salty, tender prosciutto ham, and roasted to perfection. Hungry yet? I know, I know… I’m cruel… but seriously, this roasted asparagus is really THAT good!
Some folks aren’t fans of asparagus, and I can understand that… it has a distinct flavor and texture that just isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, roasting vegetables changes the flavor and texture, so even if you’re not a huge fan of asparagus, I think you’ll like this roasted asparagus recipe. If I haven’t convinced you, you could easily swap out the asparagus for fresh green beans. That would be easily delicious!!
Also, if you couldn’t find prosciutto ham, bacon or even regular thin sliced ham would work as well. Basically you just want a salty meat wrapped around the roasted vegetables, getting crispy and delicious!!
I’ve been getting into roasting more and more vegetables… it’s a great way to change up your veggies. Tired of boring old steamed asparagus or green beans? Roast them instead… and voila! Delicious vegetables 😀
You know when you go to a nice Italian restaurant, and the bread comes out and they have that little plate of seasoned oil for you to dip your bread in? You can EASILY make that at home… it’s a staple in our house. Now, we love garlic, so of course I put some sauteed garlic in mine, but you could skip that if you’re thinking, “whoa lady, cool it with the garlic already!”. Sometimes I also add some balsamic vinegar to mine as well to add a little “zing”.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- dash red pepper flakes
- pinch dried rosemary
- 2 leaves fresh basil minced
- splash balsamic vinegar
- olive oil enough to make it a good consistency to mop up with the bread
Instructions
- Saute garlic in a little oil until soft. Set aside on small plate. Add remaining ingredients and
- serve.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus ends trimmed
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 package thinly sliced prosciutto ham
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim ends of asparagus, add minced garlic, sprinkle with
- parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, toss in a large bowl until asparagus spears are coated.
- Wrap 4-5 pieces of asparagus in a slice of prosciutto ham, place on parchment paper lined
- baking sheet.
- Roast for 15-18 minutes.
- Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- FOR THE MARINADE
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large shallot minced
- 3 leaves fresh basil minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- TOPPINGS FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 8 oz ball fresh mozzarella cheese cubed
- leaves handful fresh basil minced
- balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Chop garlic, shallots and basil. Add to gallon size ziploc bag. Add dijon mustard, salt, pepper,
- vinegar and oil. Close bag and shake well to combine.
- Trim chicken breasts of fat, pierce with a fork, and place in marinade bag. Massage marinade
- into chicken and place bag on a plate in the refrigerator for approximately 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and pull the marinated chicken out of the refrigerator to warm
- up on your counter.
- Heat a large oven safe skillet (I use cast iron), over medium high heat with a drizzle of oil. Addchicken to the pan, it should sizzle loudly. Let caramelize for 3 minutes, flip chicken to
- caramelize on the other side for 2 minutes.
- Place your oven proof skillet in the 425 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes
- (depending on the thickness of your chicken).
- If chicken isn't cooked through, place skillet on your burner over medium high heat to finish
- cooking.
- While chicken is cooking, chop up your topping ingredients and set aside.
- Once chicken is finished cooking, allow to rest for a few minutes on a plate to let the juices
- redistribute. Top your chicken with the tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and drizzle with
- balsamic glaze.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Kelsey says
This chicken is amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Tammy says
Maybe I missed something, but I could not find the amount of chicken that one should use. In fact, I could not even find the word chicken in the ingredients part. Could you please let me know if one can use thighs and breasts? Please let me know the amount. Thank you in advance.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Tammy 🙂 My apologies, I don’t know why the chicken part of the ingredients isn’t there… it used to be :/ I used chicken breasts, and I use 3-4 of them. You could certainly substitute chicken thighs if you prefer 🙂
Johanne Lamarche says
Gorgeous presentation of a flavorful dish. A nice break from all the fall flavors too.
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
Thank you very much, it’s such a fresh meal 🙂
Miz Helen says
Your Chicken Caprese looks fantastic! Hope you are having a great day and thanks so much for sharing this awesome post with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
You’re sweet, thank you!! Full Plate Thursday was a lot of fun, I’ll definitely be back 🙂
skd says
This is a piece of artwork 🙂 Beautiful display
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
Thank you very much!!
giramuk's kitchen says
Wow! This looks amazing! I love chicken with Balsamic its just the best! I need to buy some asparagus and fresh mozzarella to make this for dinner soon! Can’t stop drooling! 😀 Happy FF!!
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
Thank you!!!! Happy FF to you too 😀 I hope you love it as much as we do!!
Steve says
Thanks – this looks great !
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
Thank you!! 😀
sarahgiebens says
This looks amazing!
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
Thank you very much!!
Food To Dish says
Awesome, looks great!Nice share
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
Thank you! It’s definitely a favorite in our house 🙂
Nancy says
Delicious looking dinner and beautiful presentation!
marsha benton says
Looks professional like Olive Garden, looks very good.
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
Thank you!!! 🙂
MyAdventuresInDinnerTime says
Thank you!! I like to get a little fancy sometimes 😉